Pittsburgh has become a hub for great magic, in no small part because there were some magic fans working at a nonprofit arts organization focused on the city’s downtown. Back in 2018, Scott Schiller, a hobbyist who was the vice president of artistic planning at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, teamed up with magician Dennis Watkins to develop a venue downtown. Kevin McMahon, the CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at the time, was also on board, and in February 2019, Liberty Magic was born, with Eric Jones as the first performer. Since then, minus the Covid shutdown, the venue, which has a 68-seat main theater and a smaller 20-seat parlor room, has been running year-round.
A Theatrical Magic Experience
Jones, Watkins, and local magician Lee Terbosic served as artistic advisors during that first year to, among other things, get the 68-seat theater set up with the technology and sight lines that make for a great show. Their efforts make the venue a great place for magic. On a typical night, the lobby, which is designed to look like an antique magic shop, replete with its own Zoltar fortune telling machine, opens about an hour before showtime. Once they enter, guests can enjoy watching one of the local front-of-house magicians—Dan Harmon, Shane Patrick Crews and Jon Tai—perform, as well as take in artifacts like a water torture chamber and a playing card collection.
Left: Local magician Jon Tai. Right: Mr. Messado performing his family show for an enthusiastic crowd.
From there, patrons may enjoy beer or wine that they’ve brought with them (Liberty Magic is a BYOB venue) and are treated to a 65- to 85-minute performance from the resident magician in the main theater. Those with VIP tickets also attend a more intimate show after the main one, in the lounge-like parlor room. “Every performer treats that post-show session a little bit differently,” explained Zoe Ruth, Liberty Magic’s director of operations. “It’s very much a parlor, so some artists really lean into that and have a Q&A session, and there’s almost always at least a piece of magic or two that emerges from that organic conversation with the audience.” Some performers are more experimental. Peter Samelson, for example, transformed the space to look like a speakeasy cigar bar, a nice accompaniment to his cigar routine. Carisa Hendrix, who performs as Lucy Darling, used the time to take off her wig and makeup and talk to the audience as Carisa rather than Lucy.
Loyal Subscribers
Liberty Magic runs on a regional theater model, where people can buy a multi-pass to four or more shows in the eight-show run that makes up the venue’s peak season, which lasts from November to June. “As the programmer, I have this really fun challenge of making sure that no one is ever coming back two times in a row and seeing something similar,” Zoe said. “Even though they’re coming back to the same space and they’re seeing the same art form, my goal is for it to feel completely different every single time.”
Left: VIP guests in the parlor room raise their glasses to Jon Tai. Right: Liberty Magic’s lobby features a Zoltar fortune telling machine that entertains guests before the main show
During this peak season, when the venue hosts five or six shows a week, Zoe typically books acts for a month at a time, though some runs are a bit shorter depending on a performer’s availability. The 2025-26 season includes Brian Jay Corrigan, Paul Vigil, Ondřej Pšenička, Jonathan Levit, David Williamson, Mike Pisciotta, and Javi Benitez. The rest of the year is what Zoe calls Liberty Magic’s shoulder season, where local magicians revive popular shows, including a magic improv show led by Dan Harmon, Michael Misko, and Eric Meredith.
After over five years in the business, Liberty Magic has found its groove; ticket sales are strong and Zoe said she’s eager to keep the magic going: “I’m really excited to be able to continue to find new and exciting acts that really blend the art of magic with other artistic techniques of storytelling, and really introduce audiences to what magic can be when it’s also theater.”
Photos by Dustin Wickett
Liberty Magic
Liberty Magic is a space dedicated to elevating the art of magic. Located at 811 Liberty, on the same block where Harry Houdini mesmerized Pittsburgh crowds in 1916, Liberty Magic is an intimate, speakeasy performance space dedicated to the art of sleight of hand and prestidigitation.